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Hot Wheels to attempt World’s Longest Jump at Indy 500 [w/video]

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos, Toys/Games

We all did it as kids – grabbing one end of an impossibly long stretch of plastic track, heaving it up and attaching one end to the highest object we could find (usually a door) and creating a ramp at the other end with a carefully planned trajectory to score the longest possible airborne distance, then finally setting our favorite Hot Wheels car on a journey of no return.

Team Hot Wheels, a newly created group of stuntmen and extreme sports addicts, are setting out to recreate those childhood memories in the real world. To get there, the group is assembling a 100-foot-tall starting ramp in the shape of a door that leads to – you guessed it – a giant jump. The resulting flight has a goal of reaching 302 feet, which would be a new world record distance.

We don’t know who’s piloting the machine just yet (we suspect we’ll find out for sure if it’s an official record). In any case, it’s the actual off-road truck, which features rear fins reminiscent of a ’59 Cadillac, and the giant Hot Wheels V-Drop replica track that are the real stars here.

Are you asking yourself why Hot Wheels is going to all this trouble to promote kids toys? Well, therein lies the issue. These don’t have to be just toys for kids – Hot Wheels is hoping to attract the attention of adults (males mostly, as you’d imagine) that grew up with these little cars and have fond memories of them. Collectors, take note.

Click past the break for a little teaser video of the event that’s scheduled to take place on Sunday, May 29th. You’ll also find the complete press release for your reading pleasure, if you’re so inclined.

[Source: Hot Wheels]

Continue reading Hot Wheels to attempt World’s Longest Jump at Indy 500 [w/video]

Hot Wheels to attempt World’s Longest Jump at Indy 500 [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Apr 2011 19:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe Black Series so hot we’d like to bag it up

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Performance, Mercedes-Benz

spy photo of mercedes-benz c63 amg coupe black series

Spy Shots: Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe Black Series – Click above for high-res image gallery

Spy photographers had previously captured images of what’s tipped to be the Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Black Series sedan. The four-door muscle car could be seen traipsing down snowy roads. At the time, there were rumors that the two-door C63 AMG coupe could also be lured over to the dark side. Now our spy shooters have returned with photographic proof to back up that claim.

The hallmark of a Black Series Mercedes is two-fold in its simplicity: more power and better dynamics through things like a wider track and lightweight materials. The “standard” C63 AMG Coupe will pump out 451-horsepower, so we’re hoping that the Sith Lord-edition will crest the 500-hp mark. Weight can be shed through the use of slimmer, grippier front seats and by ditching the back seat entirely. Who has time for back-seat passengers when you have the keys to a Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe Black Series anyway?

Gallery: Spy Shots: Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe Black Series

Spy Shots: Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe Black Series

[Source: CarPix]

Spy Shots: Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG Coupe Black Series so hot we’d like to bag it up originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hot Wheels gets playful with full-scale advertisements

Filed under: Etc., Marketing/Advertising, Toys/Games

hot wheels loop advertisement

Hot Wheels throws Columbia for a loop – Click above for image gallery

Diecast cars are a fun distraction regardless of your age, in fact, we’ve got a few on our desk at this very moment. Hot Wheels may be the king of scale-car fun, but its marketing department likes to think big.

Recently, we saw how it turned a historic Australian building into a 3D racetrack. Now it’s apparently focused its creative attention on Bogota, Colombia. Going low-tech this time, Hot Wheels has placed a giant ‘loop’ in the middle of an overpass.

It’s certainly more eye-catching than a traditional billboard, and it still gets the message across that Hot Wheels are all about fun. Thanks for the tip, Andrew!

Gallery: Hot Wheels Full-Size Outdoor Advertisement

Hot Wheels Full-Size Outdoor Advertisement

[Source: Paper-Plane.fr (translated)]

Hot Wheels gets playful with full-scale advertisements originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 16:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GTI35.com celebrates Volkswagen hot hatch’s anniversary with special tuner pack

Filed under: Aftermarket, Performance, Hatchback, Volkswagen

Volkswagen Golf GTI35.com

Volkswagen Golf GTI35.com – Click above for high-res image gallery

It’s not unusual for an automaker to roll out a special anniversary model when the brand or a specific model celebrates a milestone. This Volkswagen doesn’t come from Wolfsburg itself, though. Instead, an independent outfit bent on marking the 35th birthday of the Volkswagen Golf GTI is behind the effort.

Partnering with German tuning house Wunschel Sport, the website GTI35.com has outfitted the hopped-up Golf with a 50-horse boost to 260 hp, a body kit, lowered suspension, and 19-inch OZ Quaranta wheels on low-profile rubber. The result is a claimed half-second off the 0-100 km/h (62mph) sprint, now down to 6.4 seconds (as equipped with the DSG) and a top speed of 255 km/h (158 mph).

The titanium-colored aftermarket special also wears decals emulating a racing number, which is repeated on the keychain, parking sign and t-shirt that come along with the €32,800 package, which is also available as individual components. Follow the jump for the press release and check out the high-resolution images in the gallery below.

Gallery: Volkswagen Golf GTI35.com

[Source: GTI35.com]

Continue reading GTI35.com celebrates Volkswagen hot hatch’s anniversary with special tuner pack

GTI35.com celebrates Volkswagen hot hatch’s anniversary with special tuner pack originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 26 Mar 2011 12:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Hot Wheels holds 3D race on side of historic Aussie building

Filed under: Technology, Videos, Australia

Hot Wheels 3D Ad

Hot Wheels 3D advertisement – Click above to view video after the jump

Hot Wheels teamed up with an Amsterdam-based company called Muse Digital to create a 3D commercial that can be projected onto buildings. In this case, Hot Wheels had Muse make them a 3D, computer-generated race between four of its iconic models.

The race was projected onto the side of the historic Sydney Customs House. So advanced are the projected 3D graphics that the building appears to get destroyed throughout the course of the race, as familiar orange track bursts through the walls and a number of other calamities ensue.

The video itself is pretty campy, but the technology behind it is seriously cool. Click past the jump to see the clip in its entirety.

[Source: YouTube via MotorworldHype]

Continue reading Video: Hot Wheels holds 3D race on side of historic Aussie building

Video: Hot Wheels holds 3D race on side of historic Aussie building originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 20 Mar 2011 19:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Australian man brings SoCal hot-rodding to Oz

Filed under: Etc., Videos, Ford, Australia

rancho deluxe roadster

Ben Thomas and his Rancho Deluxe Roadster – Click above to watch video after the jump

Australia’s obsession with automobiles is as strong as the passion we feel for them here in the states. Bandit Films recently brought us a clip showing one man’s love for his Ford Falcon Squire. Now it’s produced a new film showing one man’s ode to the dry lakes racers from a bygone era in California’s automotive history.

Dubbed the Rancho Deluxe Roadster by its owner Ben Thomas, this 1932 Ford Model B is powered by a flathead V8 and just drips with classic hot rod cool. Thomas parks the car at his shop, Rancho Deluxe, which specializes in working on American cars from World War II through the sixties. It’s also a place for folks to hang out, have cake and coffee, then talk about cars. Click past the jump to see Ben Thomas talk about his roadster and his passion for cars.

[Source: Vimeo]

Continue reading Video: Australian man brings SoCal hot-rodding to Oz

Video: Australian man brings SoCal hot-rodding to Oz originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 19 Mar 2011 17:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hot Cross Buns: NHTSA reportedly set to investigate seat heater burns

Filed under: Etc., Safety

Seat Heaters

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is now looking into whether or not seat heaters pose an “unreasonable risk to safety,” according to USA Today. The government agency is currently shuffling through dozens of reports of burns associated with overactive heaters, and Johnson Clifton Larson & Schaler, an Oregon law firm, says that it knows of at least 150 people injured by the convenience feature.

According to the report, those with lower-body sensory defects are in danger of being burnt by the seat heaters without their knowledge, and doctors have petitioned the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers to disconnect the feature on vehicles owned by those with the sensory issues.

In one case, a paraplegic man was severely burnt after sitting in a Chevrolet Silverado with the seat warmers on high for two and a half hours. He accidentally turned on the heaters while attempting to roll down the window.

General Motors, meanwhile, says that it began printing warnings on seat-heater operation in its owners manuals in 2010, and all 2011 vehicle manuals now have the warning.

[Source: USA Today | Image: Damon Lavrinc/AOL]

Hot Cross Buns: NHTSA reportedly set to investigate seat heater burns originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New Kia Rio to spawn hot hatch?

Filed under: Etc., Europe, Hatchback, Kia, UK, Rumormill

2012 Kia Rio

2012 Kia Rio – Click above for high-res image gallery

According to Autocar, the minds at Kia may be mulling the creation of a hot hatch based on the all-new Rio. The news has sprouted from comments made by Benny Oeyen, Kia marketing and product planning boss in Europe. Oeyen said that the brand’s perception in the old country still lags behind the quality and design that the automaker currently has to offer, and that one way to rectify that problem is with a new vehicle that can help sway public opinion. Exactly what type of vehicle are we talking about here? Oeyen pointed to a hot hatch, cabriolet or coupe as viable options.

Autocar says that a hot hatch version of the Rio is the most likely of those options, thanks largely to the fact that the segment is booming in the UK. Kia just recently unveiled a Rio show car at the Geneva Motor Show that came with a few sportier touches, including a set of large alloy wheels.

Even if Kia does pull the trigger on a hot hatch version of the Rio, chances are that the vehicle would be a Euro-only offering. If you live in the land of the free, you’ll have to turn to the Hyundai Veloster for your Korean hot hatch fix.

Gallery: 2012 Kia Rio: Geneva 2011

[Source: Autocar]

New Kia Rio to spawn hot hatch? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 14 Mar 2011 14:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: Extra-hot Jaguar XKR caught ahead of Geneva debut

Filed under: Spy Photos, Coupe, Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Jaguar

spy shots: jaguar xkr and super xk-r xk-e

Spy Shots: Jaguar XKR-based prototypes wander the English countryside – Click above for high-res image gallery

Jaguar testers have just been caught running around the British countryside with a pair of camouflaged XK coupes. One looks to be the upcoming facelifted XKR, while the other appears to be a mysterious – and as-yet unnamed – more powerful XKR variant.

Rumor has it that this super XKR could be named the XK-E in honor of the 50th anniversary of Jaguar’s legendary E-Type. We really only know two things about it at the moment: it’s based off the 530-horsepower XKR Goodwood Special, and we’re dying to see it in Jaguar’s booth at the upcoming 2011 Geneva Motor Show.

Gallery: Spy Shots: Jaguar XKR and Super XKR

[Source: KGP Photography]

Spy Shots: Extra-hot Jaguar XKR caught ahead of Geneva debut originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hot Wheels Video Racer coming this Fall for $60 [w/video]

Filed under: Technology, Videos, Toys/Games

Hot Wheels Video Racer

Hot Wheels Video Racer in action – Click above to watch the video after the break

In case you hadn’t noticed, we’re firmly entrenched in the year 2011. Clearly, it’s high time for the little 1:64-scale cars your fathers were playing with when they were your little boy’s age to get an update, and Hot Wheels has just stepped up to the plate in a big way.

Come Christmas time, you’ll be able to fill stockings with the Video Racer, which, as its name suggests, adds a tiny camera to the front of your favorite little micro-sized motorer. Even cooler is the itty-bitty LCD screen you see when you flip to the bottom of the car, where you can then watch up to 12 minutes of recorded footage.

You can also use a USB connection to hook the Video Racer to your computer, and the little cars come equipped with attachments that allow them to be worn on the wrist (for covert spy work?), helmet, bicycle, skateboard or anything else that suits your fancy.

For $59.99 (we’ll let you be the judges on the value proposition), you’ll be able to purchase one of these little jewels this fall, and that price includes video editing software that works on Windows-powered PCs. Well done, Mattel. Check out a video of the Video Racer after the break.

[Source: Pocket-Lint, YouTube via Inside Line]

Continue reading Hot Wheels Video Racer coming this Fall for $60 [w/video]

Hot Wheels Video Racer coming this Fall for $60 [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 Jan 2011 19:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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